William otterbein gottwals



(No Model.)

W. O. GOT'I'WALS.

LETTER ANDY BILL FILE. No. 534,260. I Patented Feb. 19, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM OTTERBEIN GOTTWALS, OF OTTAWA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ECLIPSEOFFICE FURNITURE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 534,260, dated February19, 1895.

Application filed May 31, 1 894,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM OTTERBEIN GOTTWALS, of the city of Ottawa,in the county of Carleton and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion ofCanada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter andBill Files; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention, which will be hereinafter fully set forth and claimed,relates to letter and bill files.

The object of my invention is to increase the eificlency and durabilityof the part commonly designated as arch by the manufacturer, but whichincludes the base holding the arch and other wires, together with themechanism for operating the latter; also to simplify and reduce the costof manufacturing.

Figure 1 is a top View of the arch,including the base holding the wiresand the mechanism operating the latter, one arch and receiving wirebeing broken off. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on linea; m Fig. 1, showing the receiving wires closed. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section of the same on line y y Fig. 1 showing thereceiving wires open. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line ,2 2 Fig.1, being at a right angle to Figs. 2 and v 3. Fig. 5 is an elevation ofthe receiving wire. Fig. 6 is a separate view of the cover plate formingthe cap for the receiving wire journal; and Fig. 7 is a bottom view ofthe base plate.

The base, A, adapted to hold the transfer or arch wires rigidly and thefront or receiving wires movably, is stamped out of a piece of sheetmetal; ridgesor ribs to accommodate the cross shanks of the wires and tostiffen the plate, being formed thereon, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and7. An upwardly projecting rib, a, near the upper edge of the plate,forms a groove in the lower surface of the same, adapted to hold thecross shank of the arch wire, a perforation being made at each endthereof through which the upright shanks are passed. A groove, a, in theupper surface near the lower or front edge of the plate, parallel to a,forms the lower half of the bear- Serial No. 512 998. (No model.)

ing for the front or receiving wire. An upwardly projecting ridge, a",is formed near wires, three sides of which are raised and one,

the front, depressed. Midway between the two ridges a, parallel to themand a little distance apart, are formed two or more such, but downwardlyprojecting, ridges, a a; the four ridges a, and 01/ serving to stiffenthe plate longitudinally, the central ones to take the strain of thespring. A perforated extension or lug at the upper edge of the plateforms an eye, a, adapted to project above the board or backing to whichthe base is usually secured, and by which it may be hung up on a hook orpin on the wall or other object. A couple of perforations, 01. are alsoformed on the body of the plate through which screws or other fasteningsmay be passed for securing it to the board or other backing.

The arches, B B, serving as transfer or back wires, are, for conveniencein manufacture, but not necessarily so, made out of one piece of wirebent to form a central cross shank, b, and two uprights which have theirends curved forward and downward, their points, b being beveleddownwardly and inwardly and grooved on the face. The upright shanks arepassed through the perforations at the ends of the ridges a from below,so that the cross shank lies in the groove at the lower surface of theplate, in which it is secured by solder or in some other suitable way, arearward or upward inclination according as the base plate ishorizontal'or vertical being given to the upright shanks.

The front or receiving wires, C C, Fig. 5, are also and necessarily madeof one piece of wire, integrally or pieced, being bent to form a crossshank, c, and two straight uprights, the ends or points, 0', of which,when the wire is placed in position, meet the points I) of the arches toform a smooth joint therewith, being beveled off downwardly and inwardlyand provided with a tongue, so that the points I) 0' form atongue-and-groove joint on beveled faces fitting each other. The crossshank c is placed in the groove a and held therein by a cover plate orcap, D, Fig. 6, provided at its lower surface with a groove, 61', whichforms an upwardly projecting ridge having a roomy perforation at eachend through which the upright shanks pass and which plate is secured tothe base by rivets, d", or in some other suitable manner. The upwardgroove cl in the plate D and the downward groove a in the plate A thusform a journal bearing for the cross shank of the receiving wire whichis placed in such a relative position on the plate that when thereceiving wires are closed or locked they lean about as much upwardly orrearwardly as they lean forwardly or downwardly when open, as shown inFigs. 2 and The receiving wires are held open or closed by means of aspring E and a cam 0', Figs. 2, 3 and 5. The latter, consisting of aprojecting ridge, nib, or hit, is secured to the cross shank c of thereceiving wire, perforations, at and d, to accommodate it, beingprovided in the base A and cover plate D respectively. The spring E,strengthened by a backing piece E, is secured by a bolt, E, passingthrough a perforation in the base, over the two central ridges a", thepoint bearing on the cam G beingprovided with a notch e which engagesthe edge of the cam when the receiving wires are fully open, as in Fig.3, and when the latter are locked the part of the spring at the rear ofthe notch bears upon the edge of the cam as a lever and tends to pressthe points c against the points I) of the arches. The notch e in thespring E engages the edge of the cam 0', holds the latter when thereceiving wire is fully open and prevents the weight of paper suspendedon the latter from opening it farther.

I claim as my invention 1. 111 a letter and bill file, the combinationof a stamped base A having raised ridges a a" a and groove a, a capplate D secured to the upper face of said base having a groove in thelower surface corresponding with the groove a and being perforated atthe ends and in the center, two arches B having their cross shankssecured in the upper groove formed by the ridge to so that the uprightshanks lean rearwardly or upwardly accord ing as the base plate ishorizontal or vertical and having their points beveled at the front andgrooved, receiving wires 0 formed in one piece with a cross shank cjournaled in the bearing formed by the grooves a and d between the baseA and cap D and having its points beveled and tongued to fit the pointsof the arches, a cam O on said cross shank adapted to bear on a springand engage a notch therein and a double spring E E bolted to said baseand adapted to bear with its point on the said cam and to engage andlock the same by a notch e, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a rectangular piece of stamped sheet metal A, agroove a in the lower surface forming a raisedridge at the upper surfaceand having a perforation at each end said groove forming a bed for thecross shank of the arches, a groove a parallel to the groove a andforming part of a journal bearing for the cross shank of the receivingwires, raised ridges a" extending from the perforated ends of the ridgea to the ends of the groove a, central downward ridges a extending fromthe ridge a to the groove a and a cap D secured to the front edge of thebase and having a groove (1 in its lower surface corresponding to thegroove (1, and fOlDling therewith a journal bearing for the cross shankof the receiving wire and said groove being perforated in the center,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed in the presence of the undersignedwitnesses.

WILLIAM OTTE RBEIN GO'ITWALS.

\Vitnesses:

A. HARVEY, A. Tnowsn.

